New regulations for part-time courses

From this year, only people with two years’ work experience can join executive part-time courses for management and engineering.

From this year, only people with two years’ work experience can join executive part-time courses for management and engineering. Also, if colleges offer both part-time and full-time courses, they cannot hold evening classes for their full-time course batch.

The AICTE introduced these norms for part-time courses for working professionals on Tuesday. “Since earlier there were no norms to regulate part-time courses, each college interpreted part-time courses in their own way. Now they will all follow the same rules,” said SS Mantha, acting chairperson, AICTE.

The new regulations also state that the credits earned in a part-time course should equal a full-time course. Even the faculty break-up for these courses has been outlined: 20% regular staff, 30% staff from the full-time course and 50% visiting faculty. The intake capacity of part-time courses has to be half of the full-time course strength.

“With no full-time courses running in the evenings, students in part-time courses will get an exclusive campus without needing to share any facilities such as library or AV room,” said MA Khan, director, Sydenham Institute of Management.